Two local developers have joined forces to build a 98-acre residential and commercial development along Route 250 in Penfield.

Developers Ralph A. DiTucci and Bob Morgan plan to build 468 dwellings, ranging from apartments to town homes, and commercial space on two parcels on either side of the busy roadway, just north of Atlantic Avenue, said Penfield's director of engineering and planning, Mark Valentine.

"At this point, it's very conceptual," Valentine said. If approved, the large-scale project would be constructed in phases over the course of seven years.

As proposed, the development would include a 73-acre parcel on the west side of Route 250 and another 25-acre parcel on the east side of Route 250. A large field and two vacant houses currently occupy the western parcel. The eastern parcel is a cornfield.

"The concept for the community is different, with an urban, not suburban, feel," DiTucci said. "It's not your conventional housing project. We're really excited and don't think anyone has created a mixed-use community quite like this."

Sketch plans call for 298 apartments housed in eight separate apartment buildings, 122 townhouses, 38 duplexes and 10 single-family houses, Valentine said. Plans also show four commercial buildings and two community centers, with swimming pools, for those who live within the complex.

The plans also include several linear parks, walking and bike paths and a 5-acre parcel of open green space in the middle of the development.

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A proposed 98-acre development is set to include 468 dwellings, including apartments, town homes and patio homes, and several office buildings.(Photo11: Victoria E. Freile/@vfreile/staff photographer)

Commercial spaces have been earmarked to become medical offices and other small businesses, DiTucci said. Several retail shops, potentially coffee shops and salons, are also to be located within the community centers, to give both parcels a village center feel, he said.

"We're looking to keep the character of Penfield within the neighborhood," DiTucci said.

The town's Planning Board will learn more about the proposed project at 6:30 p.m. meeting Thursday. Planning Board members will get their first look at the plans and will review sketches of the potential project. Nothing will be approved on Thursday, Valentine said.

A traffic study is underway for the area. As proposed, motorists could enter both parcels from Route 250. The larger parcel would also allow traffic to enter and exit the development at Atlantic Avenue and Penfield Center Road.

Town officials earlier this year acknowledged that traffic is already a problem along Atlantic, particularly near where it crosses Five Mile Line Road and Route 250.

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This field on the eastern side of Route 250 in Penfield is earmarked to be developed into apartments and town homes as part of a large-scale mixed-use project.(Photo11: Victoria E. Freile/@vfreile/staff photographer)

If approved, DiTuuci said the project will be constructed in phases. While developers have not submitted a proposed construction timeline, DiTucci said he expects it will take about five years to develop the 73-acre parcel. Once that property is complete, it will take between 18 and 24 months to develop the 25-acre parcel.

On Route 250, just north of Atlantic, are a gas station, a dental office and an animal hospital. Valentine said none of those properties will be affected by the proposed project.

The two vacant homes currently on the larger parcel will either be demolished or moved to make way for construction. A vacant 2-acre parcel, formerly the spot of a gas station at the northwest corner of Atlantic and 250, is not part of the proposed project.

DiTucci said he and Morgan have been working on the proposed project since 2010.

Two vacant homes, including this house, near Route 250 and Atlantic Avenue in Penfield, will be torn down or moved to make way for a large-scale residential and commercial project on the property.(Photo11: Victoria E. Freile/@vfreile/staff photographer)

That 162-unit project is proposed to go in the spot where Wickham Farms currently operates its retail market, community-supported agriculture/special events building, a jumping pillow, corn maze and other features on the parcel, which is just north of the Eastside YMCA.

Wickham Farms will not close, but instead plans to move operations around the corner to the farm's 120-acre property on Sweets Corners Road. The Planning Board will get its first look at the farm's plans at the April 12 board meeting, said farm owner Bill Wickham.

The senior project has not been approved by the Planning Board, which just learned about the project last month.

As proposed, the complex does not include the neighboring property. For more than 30 years it was home to Grossmans Home and Garden, which last month held a liquidation sale and auction after closing its doors for good. With Grossmans' closure, it is not yet known whether the developers will aim to also acquire that 5-acre parcel.

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The Morgan/DiTucci parcels on Route 250 are both zoned as mixed-use. Both properties are among about 350 acres between the YMCA and Penfield Center Road that in November were rezoned from residential status, said Town Supervisor Tony LaFountain.

Both projects will require approval from Penfield's Planning Board before any construction can begin, Valentine said.